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Home » Multiplication Monkey with Cardboard and MakeDo Review

Multiplication Monkey with Cardboard and MakeDo Review

October 29, 2013 by L. E. Mastilock 5 Comments

Ever since the Global Cardboard Challenge Day, where Monkey made a bunch of arcade games to share at a cardboard arcade day with friends, he has been creating anything and everything out of cardboard! 

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit
It’s here! It’s here! Can I use it now, mom?!

Actually he’d been creating with boxes long before that, but inspiration really struck him then. And he hasn’t stopped! No box is safe in my house! I had a stack of boxes set aside to clear out some storage, but Monkey got to them before I could tell him they were not for cutting up.

When I told him he was going to get a MakeDo kit in the mail, he was ecstatic!

 

He couldn’t wait, but finally the day came!

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit
The kit included a plastic saw, hinges, fastener, and an idea page.

33% Off on KIDS CONSTRUCTION PACK -165 Reusable Pieces


Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit
Does this saw work? Not really. that’s okay we have scissors!
I left him to his work and later found he had created a clock with movable parts with string and tape. Very cool, but I was hoping we might be saving tape now?! What about the fasteners and hinges? 
I think he was so used to working without them, he forgot to use them or wasn’t sure how. He wasn’t sure how to go about making any of the things on the idea sheet by himself, so I said I would create something with him. We looked online at the MakeDo blog to get even more ideas and find something great to build together! 
There are tons of great ideas! We finally decided on the Cardboard Educated Monkey which is a multiplication calculator based on an old tin toy. Yes, he actually chose this himself!

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

I printed the free instructions and cut outs. We cut out the paper shapes and Monkey pasted them onto cardboard. He got tired of cutting pretty quickly, it was no easy task! So I helped him out with that part.

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

He measured the pieces for the backing and really enjoyed pinning them together using the fasteners. I assumed this would be simple, but it is not easy to punch holes in cardboard.! Especially a nice round hole! Is it just me?!

The plastic knife in the kit has a punch, but, maybe I’m just not talented with working with cardboard? We stabbed the cardboard quite a few times, can you tell? And then I got a kitchen knife.

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

Perhaps they meant to use tag board? I think that would have been easier to work with. But, it was all a learning process and we had fun doing it together.

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit
All the monkey pieces, finally cut out!

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

A little color and on to assembly.

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

We got it together!
Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

He works! Multiply the bottom two numbers together (4×6) and the answer is in the tiny box, just above the monkey’s hands (24).

He’s hard to move, but with thin cardboard or tag board he’d probably work better. Though, then I might just use brads. But it is a very cool project!

Monkey and I both wish we had a bigger MakeDo set and could make some giant domes and robots! 

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit
this is awesome!

Especially now that we know how to use the fasteners. They do stay on really well, but are also easy to remove when needed. Even easy for a kid to remove! Next time I’d like to make something with the hinges, too. A MakeDoe kit would be perfect for large projects!

Don’t miss the sale on your MakeDo kit right now at:



We played around for quite a while with the multiplication monkey. Then we did this activity to have a better understanding of multiplication:

Understanding Multiplication Activity

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

Sandy Toes Creations- Mutliplication Monkey and Cardboard building kit

I had seen it on Pinterest, but couldn’t find it again. I think it’s pretty self explanatory, We stared with the top, then solved the problems by grouping and counting with candy to get the answer. I don’t recommend using candy, though! We did that in honor of it being Halloween week. The candy corn melted in the glue and the other candies I had out for the “array” got eaten, so had to be replaced with stickers.



Filed Under: Homeschool, Kids & Family Tagged With: eco-friendly, education, reviews

About L. E. Mastilock

Author, Artist, Pro Blogger, and Social Media Manager. I encourage parents to nurture children through art and nature. I homeschool my kids and advocate for alternative education, creativity, family values, clean eating, rescue pets, and a playful childhood.
I blog at naturalparentguide.com & RascalandRocco.com

Comments

  1. Anne Campbell says

    February 24, 2015 at 3:30 am

    Oh, now this is awesome! I have a cardboard engineer as well. He will love these ideas!

    Reply
  2. Catherine says

    November 5, 2013 at 9:00 am

    This is such a great idea. I have just started saving boxes as I realised that we've never really done any junk modelling. It's definitely an experience that my daughter should have!
    Hopping over from Learn through Play.

    Reply
  3. Susan Evans says

    November 4, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    What cute activities to learn multiplication!

    Reply
  4. Kischka says

    October 30, 2013 at 4:11 pm

    Yay! I'm so glad he was inspired by the Cardboard Challenge! I saw that MakeDo sponsored one of the Cardboard Challenges in a previous year. Regarding punching holes in cardboard, I would suggest laying the cardboard flat over a surface that has a hole in it. For example, lay the box on top of a large roll of packing tape, with the spot you want to punch the hole in centered over the middle of the roll of tape. Then use a large nail, awl, or other pointy object to punch the hole. Having the support in the back makes all the difference!

    Reply
    • blogging says

      October 31, 2013 at 8:03 am

      I'm an idiot! lol! I was trying to do it in small pieces off the side of the table. I will definitely do that next time. Thanks!

      Reply

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Hello, I'm L. E. Mastilock. I am a lover of food, family, and nature. I encourage parents to live a green, healthy lifestyle and have fun learning together. I am a published author and multi media artist, homeschooling my kids in the beautiful CA mountains. Read More…

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